Quanta and Mind

This edited volume examines aspects of the mind/consciousness that are relevant to the interpretations of quantum mechanics. In it, an international group of contributors focus on the possible connections between quantum mechanics and consciousness. They look at how consciousness can help us with quantum mechanics as well as how quantum mechanics can contribute to our understanding of consciousness. For example, what do different interpretations aimed at solving the measurement problem in quantum mechanics tell us about the nature of consciousness, such as von Neumann's interpretation? Each interpretation has, associated to it, a corresponding metaphysical framework that helps us think about possible “models” of consciousness. Alternatively, what does the nature of consciousness tell us about the role of the observer and time reversibility in the measurement process? The book features 20 papers on contemporary approaches to quanta and mind. It brings together the work of scholars from different disciplines with diverse views on the connections between quanta and mind, ranging from those who are supportive of a link between consciousness and quantum physics to those who are very skeptical of such link. Coverage includes such topics as free will in a quantum world, contextuality and causality, mind and matter interaction, quantum panpsychism, the quantum and quantum-like brain, and the role of time in brain-mind dynamics.

J. Acacio de Barros is a physicist working on the foundations of quantum mechanics, philosophy of physics, and psychology. His interests are interdisciplinary, and focus mainly on different formalisms to describe contextual systems, both in quantum mechanics and areas outside of physics, such as in decision-making and psychology. Dr. de Barros has held visiting positions at the Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences (Stanford University), Center for the Study of Language and Information (Stanford University), and at the Interdisciplinary Logic Group at COPPE (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and is currently Professor at the School of Humanities and Liberal Studies, San Francisco State University. Dr. de Barros is a Corresponding Member of the Brazilian Academy of Philosophy. Carlos Montemayor is Professor of Philosophy at San Francisco State University. He is the author of Minding Time: A Philosophical and Theoretical Approach to the Psychology of Time (2013; Brill), Consciousness, Attention, and Conscious Attention (with H. H. Haladjian, 2015; MIT Press) and Knowledge, Dexterity, and Attention: A Theory of Epistemic Agency (with Abrol Fairweather, 2017; Cambridge University Press).